these Zarbi are half-asleep...’
Doctor Who gripped Ian’s arm and turned to point him towards the control panel. ‘Chesterton, only in here are those creatures powerless! Outside this room they will be watching, waiting...!’
‘Just the same,’ Ian persisted stubbornly,’... if I could get to Barbara in that... Crater of Needles you spoke of... if we were all together, then we could get away – if this situation...’ he waved at the powerless Zarbi... ‘if this were repeated...’
‘My dear fellow, you don’t even know where the Crater of Needles is!’
‘I’ll find it,’ Ian said, looking around the walls, calculating the exits. He began to move away purposefully.
‘Chesterton – use your head! Come back!’
Ian paused. He shook his head. With his foot he stirred a recumbent Zarbi. It rolled a little, but raised no objection.
‘See? It’s no good, Doctor. I’ve already decided. If I’m caught, we can hardly be worse off than we are already...’
Doctor Who gave a resigned sigh, wagged his head half in agreement.
Ian smiled at them. Then he turned and stepped carefully to an open web door covering the tunnel through which they had come into this place.
‘Ian—!’ Vicki cried, and moved to stop him.
Ian paused, looked down the tunnel and suddenly darted down into it, vanishing from their sight. The Zarbi, some of them stirring feebly, made no real move to stop him. One looked blankly towards the tunnel and then turned its head disinterestedly away.
Vicki turned her anxious face to Doctor Who. His face was grave. He patted Vicki’s head.
‘Don’t worry child – he’ll be back. He may not have my brain, but he’s fairly good at looking after himself ...’
The Doctor masked his own uneasiness, and managed to give her a hopeful smile. Then the Doctor turned again to his instruments, flipping the controls to take a fresh view of space on the astral map. During this his receiver–
transmitter, its On switch glowing and giving off only a faint, whistling whine, abruptly gave forth static as he rotated a frequency control and the curious hollow echoes that accompanied a station in operation made him halt. A whisper sounded on the radio. He listened, tense, expectant, and adjusted the volume control, the tuner. The whisper was blurred by static.
‘... advance units...’ it droned softly.
Suddenly the radio boomed louder, crackling, and the voice over the radio sounded high and harsh.
‘... will rendezvous...’
It faded again. Vicki was staring. ‘Is... that the Menoptera... speaking...?’
Doctor Who turned the volume control higher, gripped the tuner delicately, listened hard. He nodded.
A voice crackled over the radio speaker, coming in loudly now.
‘Menop pathfinder to Leader One... Range to Vortis one-four-owe leagues..
Doctor Who turned abruptly to Vicki. ‘The recorder, Vicki, switch it on!’
Vicki hurried to obey the Doctor’s pointing finger. She pressed a recorder and together they bent to the speaker, listening hard.
Now a new voice came on the airwaves, louder, more powerful, heavily speckled with static.
‘Leader to spearhead. Lock course on bearing two-six-five. Speed point owe-one of light. We jettison craft at altitude two-five leagues. Individual descent... to group on Sayo plateau at north end of Crater of Needles...’
The voice faded, and with it the static, as a click sounded and the transmitter closed, leaving only a light whisper of sound, an emptiness. Doctor Who turned to Vicki, pointed to their small recorder.
‘Did you get it?’
Vicki nodded. She was staring. ‘They’re going to land near the Crater of Needles...? where you said Barbara is...
The place Ian is trying to find...’
She stared towards the tunnel where Ian had disappeared.
Ian, treading carefully, had come quite a long way down the narrow, empty tunnel. As he looked around him he saw that, at long intervals, webbed gates were set in the wall, opening into other passages
Doctor Who gripped Ian’s arm and turned to point him towards the control panel. ‘Chesterton, only in here are those creatures powerless! Outside this room they will be watching, waiting...!’
‘Just the same,’ Ian persisted stubbornly,’... if I could get to Barbara in that... Crater of Needles you spoke of... if we were all together, then we could get away – if this situation...’ he waved at the powerless Zarbi... ‘if this were repeated...’
‘My dear fellow, you don’t even know where the Crater of Needles is!’
‘I’ll find it,’ Ian said, looking around the walls, calculating the exits. He began to move away purposefully.
‘Chesterton – use your head! Come back!’
Ian paused. He shook his head. With his foot he stirred a recumbent Zarbi. It rolled a little, but raised no objection.
‘See? It’s no good, Doctor. I’ve already decided. If I’m caught, we can hardly be worse off than we are already...’
Doctor Who gave a resigned sigh, wagged his head half in agreement.
Ian smiled at them. Then he turned and stepped carefully to an open web door covering the tunnel through which they had come into this place.
‘Ian—!’ Vicki cried, and moved to stop him.
Ian paused, looked down the tunnel and suddenly darted down into it, vanishing from their sight. The Zarbi, some of them stirring feebly, made no real move to stop him. One looked blankly towards the tunnel and then turned its head disinterestedly away.
Vicki turned her anxious face to Doctor Who. His face was grave. He patted Vicki’s head.
‘Don’t worry child – he’ll be back. He may not have my brain, but he’s fairly good at looking after himself ...’
The Doctor masked his own uneasiness, and managed to give her a hopeful smile. Then the Doctor turned again to his instruments, flipping the controls to take a fresh view of space on the astral map. During this his receiver–
transmitter, its On switch glowing and giving off only a faint, whistling whine, abruptly gave forth static as he rotated a frequency control and the curious hollow echoes that accompanied a station in operation made him halt. A whisper sounded on the radio. He listened, tense, expectant, and adjusted the volume control, the tuner. The whisper was blurred by static.
‘... advance units...’ it droned softly.
Suddenly the radio boomed louder, crackling, and the voice over the radio sounded high and harsh.
‘... will rendezvous...’
It faded again. Vicki was staring. ‘Is... that the Menoptera... speaking...?’
Doctor Who turned the volume control higher, gripped the tuner delicately, listened hard. He nodded.
A voice crackled over the radio speaker, coming in loudly now.
‘Menop pathfinder to Leader One... Range to Vortis one-four-owe leagues..
Doctor Who turned abruptly to Vicki. ‘The recorder, Vicki, switch it on!’
Vicki hurried to obey the Doctor’s pointing finger. She pressed a recorder and together they bent to the speaker, listening hard.
Now a new voice came on the airwaves, louder, more powerful, heavily speckled with static.
‘Leader to spearhead. Lock course on bearing two-six-five. Speed point owe-one of light. We jettison craft at altitude two-five leagues. Individual descent... to group on Sayo plateau at north end of Crater of Needles...’
The voice faded, and with it the static, as a click sounded and the transmitter closed, leaving only a light whisper of sound, an emptiness. Doctor Who turned to Vicki, pointed to their small recorder.
‘Did you get it?’
Vicki nodded. She was staring. ‘They’re going to land near the Crater of Needles...? where you said Barbara is...
The place Ian is trying to find...’
She stared towards the tunnel where Ian had disappeared.
Ian, treading carefully, had come quite a long way down the narrow, empty tunnel. As he looked around him he saw that, at long intervals, webbed gates were set in the wall, opening into other passages
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